Giving the postcard calendars another go, this time with travel vignettes from all over! I had a hard time paring down photos, so I alternated months between landscape photos and diptychs, which is a nice refresh.

This one is dedicated to the passing moments, the pauses, and the finite spaces that shape our narratives. The intimacy of the road— the in between. The images span Northern Europe, California, and the Pacific Northwest, all places I’ve been at home and in between.

I’m excited to team up with my calligraphy friend and muse, Alyce Harley of A Luxe Contraband. This year, a portion of the proceeds will be donated to Portland-based Brown Girl Rise, an organization supporting girls of color to reclaim their connection to body, community, health, land, and creativity.

Apologies that things have been quiet on the PIC front so far this year. For the past few weeks, I've been working with Mercedes at UNA Gallery to bring Portland in Color to life in a new way.

From March 1st to 25th, the series will be available to view in exhibition. Not only am I excited to share the photos in large scale prints, we're also inviting the featured artists to bring their work to life in the space while the show is up!

On top of the performances and visual art on display at the gallery opening, we'll have workshops and events throughout March. When I began shooting this series last summer, I never imagined it could take form in such a tangible, personal way. I'm especially over the moon to be partnering with UNA, a space dedicated to elevating the work of POC, queer, and femme voices.

Thank you to everyone who's shown support for this project over the last few months-- it's my proudest work. We're still thankful to all donations that help keep the series going and will be back in March with new interviews!

If this 2017 recap feels late it's because it was a harder year to digest. I've always been anxious for a new start, and while the same is still true, this time it was harder to start again with so many lingering loose ends.

The privilege of being an artist and the responsibility of using my voice weighed on me heavily.

But it also became clear that it's unrealistic for me to take on this weight alone. I'm so thankful to my community, especially the communities of color, that teach me the delicate balance of self care and self preservation (especially when the two blur together).

It's easy for me to look back and tally up what I wish I'd accomplished, but as I think I once read from Bill Wurtz, "I'm working as fast as humanly possible." Because being human means leaving room for weeks of dreaming, the days you never want to see your work again, and the 2ams when you finally hit your stride. It's not just the work in progress, but the also the progress in work.

As I continue to freelance, I'm becoming more patient with what I expect from myself and more relentless of what I want to see in the world. They feel impossible, but I think they can coexist.

Thank you to everyone who values my work, validates my voice, encourages me to stay angry, and sees me, even when I'm hiding behind the lens.

Today we have a very special edition of Portland in Color— our first family feature! Making space for creativity in the home can be both a challenge and a privilege. As daunting as creative careers might be, pursuing them while also providing for a family feels tenfold.

I often think of how my upbringing helped shape the artist I am today. I don't have memories of arts and crafts with my mother because as a single parent in a low income household, she was usually working. But she saved every single piece of art I brought home. Sometimes I would dig through boxes and find drawings I thought I'd thrown away. She told me she didn't get to keep anything from when she was young, so she holds onto everything she can now and I think this is why I'm a photographer. We might not have had a creative home in the traditional sense, but creativity was born from it nonetheless.

I'm so excited for our guests today because not only are they making and organizing art that benefits the community (think: massive murals and zines galore), but they also welcome us to see how creativity flourishes in their home in the shape of the CUTEST cooking show ever. Somehow, I overcame my starstruck wonder to spend a morning with the delightful and hilarious Chius, making popcorn à la The Mazzy Show, drawing three-eyed Mazzys, and eating books.

Seeing families like theirs is a breath of hurricane popcorn air, and the future feels so bright.

Name: Alex, A’misa and Mazzy Chiu

Pronouns: He/Him, She/Her, “I’m a Mazzy”

Background:

Alex: I’m second generation Chinese American. My parents emigrated from Hong Kong to California in the 70’s. I grew up in Irvine. I moved to San Diego in 2003 to study Visual Arts at UCSD and got a degree in Media Studies. I am currently a professional illustrator, arts educator, and stay at home dad here in Portland.

A’misa: II’m a yonsei Nikkei, which means I’m a fourth generation Japanese American. I was born in Oakland, raised in Gardena/Torrance in Los Angeles, CA, within a very large Asian American community. I met Alex while studying art history/architecture in San Diego more than a decade ago. We’ve been partners (in art and in life) for many years. We’ve lived in Portland for 6 years now. I miss the food of LA and my family as the years tick on; I just wish it was more open to weirdo artists in the way that Portland embraces us.

Mazzy: Mazzy is 3, likes slime, persimmons and is way more well known than either of her parents (which they are cool with).

Medium of choice:

Alex: I consider myself to be a cartoonist. I tend to draw and paint. I currently have the ambition to paint murals. I also have the ambitions to create stop motion animations.

A’misa: I’m a zinester and illustrator, who makes zines on my personal experiences. I’m most proud of the zine that I did on my abortion experience when I was 21. It took me 10 years to write, it has been a long healing process. I also am a college research librarian and I organize a lot of zine and art fests.

Alex: My friend Wally and I collaborated on a project that involved paper mache monster costumes. The night we finished painting them, we walked over to Domino’s pizza and ordered a pizza in our monster outfits. We also did a little dance in the parking lot. The workers were pretty excited about it.

A’misa: One of the most powerful times I’ve had in Portland was at the APANO Organizing Retreat. It reminded me of church camps that I used to attend as a kid, but instead of a religious focus, it was a 2 day training on how to be better community organizers. It was more than just a learning experience. In sharing our families migration stories, I realized that while my family was being incarcerated in concentration camps by the US government for being of Japanese descent, the Japanese from Japan were occupying many of the Micronesian Islands, such as Palau. These conversations made me realize that my history stems in oppression, both as the oppressed and the oppressor. I wish I had a chance to learn these histories when I was younger, and further encourages me to tell my own kids true history. I also am thankful for being able to help out with Intersect Fest and Tender Table.

Please share a time it was difficult living in Portland:

Alex: Moving to Portland was a big deal for A’misa and I. We were moving into a new city and pretty much started from scratch with only what we could fit into our Toyota hatchback. I worked my ass off for the first two years working odd jobs in retail, coffee, and teaching. At one point, I was the only one making money while Ann was in school for library science. There were a few times when I couldn’t keep up with our bills and our debit card was overdrawn. The feeling was desperate and terrifying. It was difficult to ask my parents for money to keep us in the city. I am extremely thankful for our current situation. Things are easier now.

A’misa: Personally, I struggled a lot in the first 2 years of living here. Many of the people that we initially met through the comics and art world were white, and while everyone was pretty nice and inclusive of us, I still had trouble feeling connected. I never really felt that I could be myself. Sometimes I still have those feelings. Portland can be very unlike how I grew up, and I miss the very connectedness of Asian community: you know where everyone is your auntie and cousin, and the hospitality is so warm. Though, I don’t miss the obligation and shame that also comes with that connectedness either. Alex and I worked a lot of odd jobs in the first few years, and life didn’t seem to slow down, it still hasn’t. I was also in school to become a librarian and faced quite a few microaggressions from professors and classmates. This made me start seeking out other students of color, and other artists of color.

How do you stay inspired in Portland?

Alex: In all honesty, Portland has been a very positive place for my creative growth. Being an artist in Los Angeles was far more difficult for me. Since I moved here, I joined a small drawing group with a group of people that I respect and enjoy very much. I’ve been given opportunities to teach, perform at comics reading events, hang my work on walls, and paint murals. After having a kid, it is more of a challenge to stay motivated to create new work. The main reason that I started The Mazzy Show was to have a creative outlet while also being a parent.

A’misa: I am very thankful for Intersect Fest, Tender Table, Women of Color Zine Collective and the zine and comics community. The creatives of color that work so hard to keep our little artistic communities running have my deepest respect, admiration, and appreciation. I wouldn’t have stayed here as long as I have without this community. Zinesters by far, have my heart, and I will never stop making zines. For me, it is a very pure art form that is highly accessible and affordable to both make and to consume. Also I’m thankful for my POC librarians networks. They keep me fueled up and ready to tackle all of the information and literacy issues this country is facing. Librarians are such bad-asses.

How can Portland support you and/or your community?

Alex: Being a parent has been a very significant life change for me. I feel very disconnected from people. On occasions, A’misa lets me slip out to an art show or go draw with some buddies of mine. Those moments seem more significant to me than they had before. If we do manage to table at an event or perform, please come out and join us. These moments are special to us.

A’misa: Please keep coming out to the zine/art/comics/poetry/performance events. Especially when these art communities in Portland can be overwhelmingly white, your presence and support is everything. It truly is. Buying some zines is always appreciated too!

If you read about Portland in Color in Street Roots earlier this fall, you can thank our guest today for writing the feature. Her work spans music, culture, and art, with intersectional activism and community at the the heart of her pieces.

Not only does Emilly's work highlight people and issues of marginalized communities, it asks the larger community to act. It's natural to feel helpless and overwhelmed by the state of society and the greater world, but reading her pieces are grounding because they emphasize how can change begin with our own actions, right in our local communities. If you aren't familiar already, her From Slacktivism to Activism column is an incredible resource for locals to educate themselves on current events and get involved. It's a reminder that we can look to ourselves and our communities to move forward.

Tell us about one of your favorite Portland memories: Because I can’t pick just one, I’ll share two.

Even though I’ve lived in Portland for eight years, two standout memories happened this past year. In early March, I was super lucky to attend a beautifully intimate Helado Negro show at the Doug Fir. I actually wrote a live review for the Portland Mercury detailing just how blown away I was, but the entire evening was magic. My friend Daniela Karina set the mood with a killer DJ set and shortly after, my cousin and incredibly talented musician, Luz Elena Mendoza of Y La Bamba, played a set accompanied by nearly all femme musicians. Anis Mojgani, an award-winning slam poet, performed before Helado Negro went on and I cried. I had never experienced a lineup that included a poet, but more shows should! Finally, Helado Negro went on. It was my first time seeing him live and his music came alive for me. Soft glowing bulbs lit up every time he sang into the mic and the tinsel mammals added another shimmery element of sound. My favorite moment came when he played “Young, Latin, and Proud” and the entire front row (nearly all Latinx) linked arms and we gently swayed and sang along.

And another favorite memory occurred in October after I partnered with NXT LVL to throw a benefit for Puerto Rico and Mexico relief called #LaFuerzaPDX. So many wonderful musicians, artists, and community members came together to collectively raise over $2300!

Please share a time it was difficult living in Portland: 2012 was an incredibly tough year for me. I was feeling really isolated and lost after several major life changes occurred within weeks of each other. In a nut shell, I expected my life to be very different from where I was at and wasn’t prepared for the changes that had come. I didn’t have as strong of a network of friends as I do now and my mental health had tanked. I almost left Portland but decided to stay after I had my first tarot reading and she totally accurately warned I was running away from my problems but had to work on myself. It was true! Instead of leaving, I took a long solo trip, and five years later, I’m really happy to have made that choice.

How do you stay inspired in Portland? There is so much in this city to be inspired by. Connecting with the amazingly powerful and growing POC communities in Portland keeps me going. When dealing with the stress and alienation that can come with being Brown and living here, I hibernate or escape by traveling when I can. Spending extended periods of time alone can help reinvigorate inspiration, especially when it comes to my own (not for journalism) writing. And while I dig getting close to all the beautiful nature around Portland when decompressing, I prefer my outdoor adventures to be comprised of yurt glamping and hot springs.